Sports infra in tribal schools to be Improved

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to improve sports infrastructure in tribal schools and hostels by pooling funds from various sources. The programme will be taken up in phases  and a target has been set to develop at least one school in every block as a model school by the end of the year. A decision has been also taken to provide basic amenities like drinking water, toilets and electricity in all the hostels. Sub-collectors and BDOs have been asked to conduct surprise checks of the hostels. The child development project officers (CDPOs) have been kept in charge of girls hostels.  Besides, steps are being taken to admit tribal students in Kendriya Vidyalayas and other reputed schools in the district. The initiative has already been launched in Malkangiri, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj districts. All the tribal-dominated districts have been asked to follow their example.  Official sources said as a part of the government strategy to provide opportunity to tribal girl children to complete school education, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department has taken up construction of 100-seat hostels since 2007-08.  The programme was launched to check  dropouts and encourage girl children to come forward for schooling. Out of the 2,362 hostels sanctioned so far, already 1,422 hostels have been made operational and another 400 are likely to be ready by the end of the year. Majority of the new hostels, constructed by the State Government, are for tribal girls. Official sources said since the intervention has been successful in achieving its objectives, another 1,000 hostels have been sanctioned for the next year. Each hostel will be built at an estimated ` 50 lakh, which include civil construction work, warden’s quarters and amenities. Instructions have also been issued to districts to implement different schemes launched by the State Government for students, including the bicycle and uniform schemes in the tribal schools properly.